It’s hard to believe, but next week will begin April, and with it the end of Women’s History Month. This month, travel and hospitality companies all over the world celebrated and recognized their female colleagues, team members, customers and women travelers in several unique ways. Here’s a look at a few interesting examples:

  • Atrium Hospitality, one of the nation’s largest hotel operators, launched its WomenRISE hotel general manager development program targeted to female leaders. According to Atrium, the WomenRISE inaugural class includes nine participants from across Atrium-managed hotels in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Over a nine-month period, WomenRISE participants will have opportunities to explore their leadership qualities; build their network within Atrium; gain learnings on specific topics related to successful hotel operations; and prepare to take the next steps to pursue a hotel general manager role.
  • To celebrate Women’s History Month, United Airlines flight 1215 from Newark, N.J. to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in Florida on March 7 was operated by an all-women flight crew headed up by Captain Gabrielle Harding — the second Black woman Line Check Pilot in the company’s history. All the flight attendants, customer service representatives and ramp services employees working the flight were also women. According to United, the flight, which took place on the eve of International Women’s Day (IWD), was a special moment for United to spotlight how far the aviation industry has come in increasing women representation.
  • On March 8, travel management company BCD Travel published a Connections with BCD Travel podcast episode that featured female thought leaders in the travel industry discussing the 2024 IWD theme, Inspire Inclusion. The guests and co-hosts challenged the question: Have times really changed for women in business travel? Furthermore, they explored how to optimize travel programs for inclusion — from personal safety while traveling, to managing nursing on work trips, and what women travelers might encounter based on a local culture or geographic region. It’s worth a listen!
  • Also on March 8, Visit Argentina, the country’s official tourism bureau, recognized women who love to travel with a fun Instagram campaign that instructed followers to “tag women who inspire you to travel and invite them to #VisitArgentina with you.”
Did your company do anything to celebrate women during Women’s History Month? If so, please drop me a line at mcampanelli@napco.com. I would love to hear about it and perhaps include in an upcoming article. And remember, celebrating women and their accomplishments is just part of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality’s DNA! If you would like to join the movement, check us out here!